Jeremy Hyler, Matthew B. Moore and Cory Doggett " PROJECT: UNTITLED"

Reply to the Review

Reply to the Review

Script
I liked the build up to the story with the voice over in the beginning. But in the end it didn’t really go anywhere for me. It kind of reminded me of The Hills have Eyes.

Acting
Ok, the lead didn’t fit. She was too nice. <~~~~ So, you want me to be a bit meaner, eh? I really am trying here, you see?
n18206852_30724927_7807.jpg

That finger is not for you...don't worry! There's just something about flipping someone off while you're still smiling--it's something a bit senile...don't you think?

...that makes the whole thing intriguing! Maybe the niceness in the lead character is all a part of the character build-up. Maybe, there's something dark and ominous lurking behind that sweet exterior!

Perhaps, that's why she gets away with murder...

Doesn't it strike you as odd that she has all of these grisly moments (from hacking some ones head off with an axe, more commonly used to chop away at a woodpile to jamming a meatfork into an old lady) and still remains sweet on exterior?

But, to be on the safe side for the film....*A note to Jeremy! Could you make me appear a bit meaner?

The friends were there for like 15 seconds and then gone.


Cinematography
Your look was good. Reminded me of CPU, which isn’t a bad thing, as this is your style. I really liked the look.

Editing
Felt very disjointed throughout the film. Again, the film felt undeveloped and it just ended.

Score
Great score. Chris again did a fantastic once again. I liked the dark strings here as well.

Overall Impressions
I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. Your film looked great, but fell short in story and acting in my opinion. You are an excellent DP, and it showed with this film.[/quote]
The friends were there for like 15 seconds and then gone.

Cinematography
Your look was good. Reminded me of CPU, which isn’t a bad thing, as this is your style. I really liked the look.

Editing
Felt very disjointed throughout the film. Again, the film felt undeveloped and it just ended.

Score
Great score. Chris again did a fantastic once again. I liked the dark strings here as well.

Overall Impressions
I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. Your film looked great, but fell short in story and acting in my opinion. You are an excellent DP, and it showed with this film.[/quote]
 
geez... anyway thanks so far guy also ill repost to each of everyone when i get done working on other stuff.
 
lol...i know jeremy! when i'm really mad, though i tend to repeat myself; it's a bad habit.

got rid of the rest...i hope!

thanks!
susan
 
When I watched this, the first thought that came to mind was how much it was like CPU. The voice over was different words being delivered from a different actor/actress but the cadence and style were exactly the same. I was hoping for something a little different in that respect, perhaps showing some more growth. The second thing I would mention would be the choice of color palette. I understand that it is a stylistic approach and in that respect, it is your choice for your movie which is fine. It was just much easier to dismiss what was happening because it didn't feel real. On the other hand, I loved the look you got in the basement. It had a much more earthy and gritty feel which raised the level of the terror for me.

While ambitious, I did see this as a complete piece and I was able to follow the story, beginning to end.
 
Credit where credit is due.... cause like a normal person woulda chose a bigger veggie grater..... but my man herewent with the Fru fru french restaurant "sir would you like some Gruyier chesse on you challots?" cheese grater.... slower.. more pain to savour..... Delicious.....
 
Hey Spidey & crew, I'll probably post more detail later when I have my notes in front of me, but I saw this thread pop up & decided to throw a quick comment on from what I remembered last night.

Visually it was GREAT. Excellent cinematography, lighting, etc. Editing also appeared extremely solid, but it's the kind that edgey enough (along with some of the camera work) that I imagine there are those who LOVE it and those who HATE it. Personally, I prefer edgey so it worked well for me.

I'll have to watch it again, but initially the story didn't really grab me. It seemed like more of an excuse to just have a slasher piece, which you did a great job with the gore & FX. I actually cringed when the cheese/vegetable grater came out. YUCK! I didn't quite understand what she did to kill the fat masked guy in the basement ... maybe too quick for me to see?

Lastly, the opening VO ... I didn't want to hear so much explained like that, though I can understand with the lack of time that it helps to bring us up to speed quickly. Sometimes they work for me, sometimes they don't. This one didn't. For me, two of the things that stood out were that the voice sounded too young, so it wasn't believeable to me. And I hope I don't sound like a stereotypical jerk, but the voice didn't match the face of the actress. If I had heard the slightest bit of an accent, then I wouldn't have been caught off guard when I saw her, but as it was I just didn't feel the voice fit what I saw visually.

Since I've not seen SAW or HOSTEL, I can't say for sure if this is one of the films folks were saying it reminded them of or not, but it DID remind me of a film where these teens ended up upon some cannabilistic (sp?) backwoods folks ... think it may have been called WRONG TURN? So with that I dug the mentally screwed up guy in the field that got it first with the axe ... great performance.

To sum it up:
Great camera, lighting, editing, makeup, VFX, sound.

Also very solid performances in the acting, except for the guy getting butchered in the basement ... felt he was a hair too casual for what I would imagine most would be like in that situation.

Story lacked the most for me with the opening VO, and again just seemed like more of a showcase for the stuff that really did work such as camera, lighting, editing, VFX, etc. ...
 
More gore than horror. Nice time lapse clouds. I did not like the yellow tinted scenes. It was way over scored. I think the music was too epic for the material.

A chainsaw doesn't cut through bone like a hot knife. If you were cutting someones head off you have to sit there for a while working it back and forth. Have you ever cut wood? Ever cut into a knot? Bone is a lot worse than a knot. That's nitpicking, though. It's just one of my petpeeves when people don't understand chainsaws.

Kenny Loggins might need some money for the "Danger Zone" being performed. However, I really liked it and the voice. The main characters seemed self centered, vain and not weakened enough in their state. They remained unrealistically powerful in such conditions.

I loved the light coming down the torture shrine. Overall you did a good job directing this film, but it's poorly written and just goes way too fast. It almost felt like a feature film on x16 fast forward. Chill. I see some amazing films in your future. You need to stop and breathe.
 
Amazingly shot movie guys! I was looking forward to seeing what you guys would up with after CPU. I think this was a great end product. I agree, that there was a lot of info pressed into a small amount of time, and the story could have benefitted from more dialogue and less voice over, but now onto the amazing parts.

Lighting was top notch! You got amazing images from the locations you were at.
Framing and composition were great. Loved the feel I got while watching it.

Finally, effects, gore and mayhem. You guys take the cake in my book for that. I think the cheese grater did it for me, but all the other stuff is there as well. this reminded me of Devil's Rejects, meets House of a 1000 corpses, meets Texas Chainsaw massacre. Good stuff. i look forward to you other stuff, and hope Redneck Samurai is going well!
 
Ok finally I get to see some of spidey's work. I must admit, I havent seen CPU but I ve been following this thread and through the grabs and all, I have been expecting to see something really nice.

What I saw is more than nice. Spidey....you are right there in my opinion with Jack, Matt and the Bloody Mary crew... I m not saying all the other guys in here cant do what you did, that's not what we're after anyhow....but if we want to be honest and talk about the work each and every one of you has submitted for this fest and be judged on that...then these 3 movies are way up ahead of the rest.

I love Reunion coz I love Texas.C.M. and this was Spidey's version of TCM...It had everything...there is only one thing I didnt like, the end credits...I dont get the red tint and the cross...what's their purpose....

Everything else is amazing! Along with Rekindled, these 2 are the best artistically and in the sick area for me. If you add Stricken then you have 3 movies, horror movies, that work from A to Z without sweating one bit.
 
Damn, spidey...

You never cease to blow me away with the consistency of your work. You have real vision, my friend.

I know you are inspired greatly (and take delight in) Asian cinema...but I am beginning to see you as the Tim Burton-unique-thinker-type. Not that your stuff is dark, but that both he and yourself have a very specific look in mind & neither of yuz sacrifice that vision for anyone or anyhow. (Just please don't EVER make the spidey equivalent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!)

Anyway...great work as always.

Reunion :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Noct said:
A chainsaw doesn't cut through bone like a hot knife. If you were cutting someones head off you have to sit there for a while working it back and forth. Have you ever cut wood? Ever cut into a knot? Bone is a lot worse than a knot. That's nitpicking, though. It's just one of my petpeeves when people don't understand chainsaws.
Click to expand...

Well if you watch it again the film never eludes to how long the woman was hacking away at the neck before she was able to cut her head off. it just starts with the scream so she could have been there for a good while...I dont belive that it would take away from the realism of the whole effect....and by the way I have use many chainsaws in my day, but thanks for insulting my intelligence
 
Cory_Doggett said:
Well if you watch it again the film never eludes to how long the woman was hacking away at the neck before she was able to cut her head off. it just starts with the scream so she could have been there for a good while...I dont belive that it would take away from the realism of the whole effect....and by the way I have use many chainsaws in my day, but thanks for insulting my intelligence
Click to expand...

LOL! I think it the chainsaw worked and the effect definitely made a good impact. it is interesting the things people come up with you never would have thought they would when critiquing the movies isn't it? Nice Job on this film!
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Damn, spidey...

You never cease to blow me away with the consistency of your work. You have real vision, my friend.

I know you are inspired greatly (and take delight in) Asian cinema...but I am beginning to see you as the Tim Burton-unique-thinker-type. Not that your stuff is dark, but that both he and yourself have a very specific look in mind & neither of yuz sacrifice that vision for anyone or anyhow. (Just please don't EVER make the spidey equivalent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!)

Anyway...great work as always.

Reunion :thumbup: :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I agree; and ehat the hell? Isn't spiderman like 12 years old. Damn it.

-

Awesome job Spidey. Top 5 for me. I cant say what hasnt already been praised upon, but you have real talent. I bit much on the narration (V.O.) for me, but really, visually it is great. You have alot of prod value in this one. It feels real. Like a real world.

Wow. Inspiring.

I think this film does the best job in creating the world. This does not feel thrown together or cheap. This was creepy.

Great job (and a contender for my 10 of the fest)

Wow.

(And thanks for the shout bizatch)

-

and the head gag; fockin great stuff

-

This did felt like TEXAS CHAINSAW or HILLS HAVE EYES and that is a good thing. Alot is being said of your visual style; I love it. It is very stylistic, like we can see your brain working ...

-
 
Review | POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! I watch the movies first time around strictly for enjoyment, second and third for review.

Got a chance to start up on the fest movies. I ended with Rekindled last night and gave myself time to cool down from it. Reunion was up next and I'm glad I got to watch.
Script - I think you have a solid horror concept here. The actual story behind it sits on cliche, but there's a minor twist that I like: this house belongs to me. I like that. That's pretty much all you need to have for a solid horror movie, so great going dudes. I have to ask, though, was this written as a skeleton for a six minute format? I'm not going to say that you needed "more", yet after the V.O it seems all about the gore. I know you guys said it would be buckets o'blood, but it felt like snippets from a feature. Speaking of which, are there feature plans?


Direction - Spidey styled. I noticed that you've improved over your sci-fest entry. The shots are a lot cleaner, the framing's a lot more on-the-nose. One shot that I liked was the Scion XB. The camera pans as she runs up to find her friend dead. I also like the coverage on the actual Chainsaw head removal scene. Your style definitely reminds me of Eastern/Asian Cinema. I like it here, where as in CPU I honestly just didn't feel it. Great job.

Acting - If I had to vote on the strongest characters based on what we had a chance to see it'd be your crazy granny and your inbred son. Not yours in specific, but the movies. Your leading gal had a nice V.O which wasn't as annoying as V.O's can be, so that's good. She's got a good voice. Her line delivery at the end was spotty, but not bad.

Cine/Lighting - You had GREAT lighting going on in the hallway scene with the head removal. For me, that was the scene of your short. It was very well lit, very well approached. Gruesome even. The torture chamber would be the next. I saw good overhead lighting there on the second watch around as well. What I can't say that I'm a fan of is the overall apperance of the short. It looked like CPU. Kind-of yellow, a faint washed. And the overall image had a sort of magic bullet appeal. There's a lot of glowing soft images. Is it because this entire thing is a flashback for her? It all seems like a dream or a bad nightmare. Of course this is a choice by the production, just my thoughts on the subject. Otherwise I think your DP has skillz. Lots of eerie shadows out in the daylight. Really Texas Chainsaw. And the Cine was great.


Editing - Nicely cut. I think where the editing seems to faulter would be the first chopping scene. I think you held on the chopping too long, and I say that because the actual Special Effects don't seem to be enough to hold. I saw the axe go down, but I saw it's edge still hanging over the flesh and blood squirting. The cutting gave me too much time to notice that it wasn't there. Same thing with the forehead chop, it hung there, didn't go in. And the edit gave me time to see this. However, it worked well in the head removal scene in the hallway. It's a great example of seeing what you need to see just when you need to. I think the cut could be cleaned up a little. I like the speed ramped scenes, clouds and trees: those are always weird looking.

Sound - You had REALLY great sound going on. I liked the scheme and being in my headphones allowed me to hear the consistant hum of danger. Chainsaws, glass breaking, wind blowing. I loved your sound scheme. I'm very impressed at the quality here. Most of the time sound really falls into a deep pit and here it's fine. I think if I had to say one part that didn't sound right was the basement, where your leading gal saves her boyfriend. The vocals seemed a little hollow, and I guess that should be correct because of where they're at. So it's probably not a problem. Great sound, guys.

Special Effects/Art Direction/Wardrobe - Lots o damned blood. The head lopping scene was crazay. I didn't have to see it cutting the head off to know that's what happened. Squirting life from the neck, the head bounces off to the side and rolls. NICE. I think that your chopping scene wasn't so bad, either. As said before now, the edit layed on the fact that it was just special effects. Especially my second watch around. Make-up was some of the best in the fest, crazy props.

Scariest Moments - Head lopping scene by far. Really well done death scene, you guys. I'd love to see a BTS on how you achieved it, even with the cut through.

Overall consensus - An improvement over the last fest entry I saw from you. I like the style much better than CPU. It could benefit from a deviation from the choice of colors but that's your choice, not mines. I think you guys could turn this into a super low budget feature and sell some DVDs around town. This would be a good thing to continue on with. Good go at 'em, guys. Thanks for exhibiting!
 
i really enjoyed the film spidey. it was shot great, and i loved the editing, and the score. can't wait to see the next project you do! good luck. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top